Amorphous metal is becoming more widely used in the fabrication of transformer cores because of the improved electrical properties of this material compared with the regular grain oriented electrical steel.. However, the amorphous metal is usually available on rolls of relatively thin sheets having a narrow width. This form of the metal introduces problems in using the narrow strips in forming the transformer core.
U.S. Letters Pat. No. 4,615,106 issued to Grimes et al disclose a wound core, the edges of which are thermally sprayed with an electrically non-conducting material. A fabrication process for forming amorphous metal cores for a transformer is disclosed in U.S. Letters Pat. No. 4,413,406 issued to Bennett et al. Four metal sheets are disclosed which are adjacent to each other and are heat bonded together with a metallic bonding agent. The bonded composite sheet is cut transversely of its length with packets of predetermined length. The width of the packet may be increased. U.S. Letters Pat. Nos. 3,283,281 issued to Stein et al; 3,156,886 issued to Sutherland and 3,015,791 issued to Rolf disclose laminated layers for transformer cores which have conventional electrical steel members of differing lengths in the adjacent layers. The use of epoxy resin to insulate magnetic thin films from each other is disclosed in U.S. Letters Pat. No. 4,845,454 issued to Watanabe et al. U.S. Letters Pat. No. 3,606,676 issued to Kohler discloses silicate bonding of magnetic cores wherein a silicon steel strip is coated with a silicate solution and dried prior to or after winding into a core. U.S. Letters Pat. No. 4,387,508 issued to Wyatt discloses an apparatus for magnetically assembling transformer cores. U.S. Letters Pat. No. 4,277,530 issued to Miller discloses adjacent sheets of electrical steel bonded by an adhesive. The adhesive is characterized by rapid curing at a temperature of less than 750.degree. F.
Additional related references of which the applicant is aware are as follows:
______________________________________ Inventor(s) U.S. Pat. No. ______________________________________ Schuh 2,280,981 Ford 2,372,074 Amidon 2,390,863 Blessing 2,423,869 Foster 2,484,215 Young 2,493,609 Nagel et al 2,501,349 Nagel 2,554,262 Ford 2,579,560 McBride 2,739,085 Trig et al 2,904,875 Arntzen et al 2,909,741 Mittermaier et al 3,513,523 Denyssen 3,558,396 Foster et al 3,670,278 Foster et al 3,919,348 Schroeter et al 3,924,022 Schroeter et al 4,032,673 Lichius 4,085,347 Miller 4,277,530 Hiromae et al 4,288,492 Lin 4,445,105 Ettinger et al 4,479,104 Sattler et al 4,481,258 Buckley 4,503,605 Shigeta et al 4,558,297 Perschka et al 4,564,998 Su 4,618,632 Ballard 4,789,849. ______________________________________
Although several of the references disclose laminated strips, bonding methods, amorphous metals and apparatus for assembling transformers, many problems relating to the use of amorphous metals in transformers are still unresolved. As noted amorphous metal is available only in relatively narrow widths which are not wide enough for transformer cores. Binding materials used in the lamination of these relatively narrow strips must have electrical and mechanical properties which are compatible with amorphous metal and with other components of the transformer so as not to degrade the performance of the transformer. Apparatus is required to economically and efficiently assemble the transformer components. A need exists to address these problems.